FAA to allow use of portable electronic devices during entire flight

No phone calls, though. Supposed to be in place by the end of the year.

FAA release:

http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/?cid=TW190

Washington Post story:

http://ow.ly/qmrse
Makes sense.

As Toby Zeigler said on in pilot episode of The West Wing way back in 1999: "We're flying in a Lockheed Eagle series L-1011. It came off the line 20 months ago and carries a Sim-5 Transponder tracking system. Are you telling me I can still flummox this thing with something I bought at Radio Shack?"

I've been told that the "no cell phone" rule is because carriers can't agree on how to bill customers for the call... I have no idea if that's true, but it would make more sense than thinking that phones could impact the signals a pilot can get.